Identity
by Woodsballer
Summary: Ella's secret is exposed. Some accuse her of being a Mayto; others hale her as Shalin. Now, she must choose her new identity. A Shaiya Chronicles oneshot.


**Identity**

**Legal stuff: I do not own anything related to Pokemon; it is property of Nintendo. I own the Shaiya Chronicles and related characters/themes. Aura is property of Debbie Aaron Primal and is used with permission.**

"_It will happen today."_

A branch reached out towards her, but she shifted her neck and moved around it without breaking her timing. The Council would probably be waiting for her. But they wouldn't start without one of the clan leaders.

Clan leader. She had never thought that she would actually head a shaiya clan. The circumstances of it were strange, but they pleased her somewhat. Tor had deserved to be banished for bringing the humans to their village. If it were her choice, he would have gotten much worse. How long was it now? Approaching five moons if she was correct.

But after today, that may change. She would be forced to take on a new stance in the shaiya world. And yet she wasn't sure which side she would choose.

Feuer was given the same choice. He had refused. He had died. Another had taken his place.

But was it the Spirit's plan for her to take on such a role? She enjoyed her simple life. Long forgotten were the days of protecting shaiyas outside of her realm. She would much more willingly stay and simply guard her own clan and village.

Or was that the same thinking that got Feuer killed?

She would have to decide soon.

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When she dropped into the Council Chamber, which was the crown of a tall tree beside the main village, all of the others were already assembled. She took her seat in front of the other Infernapes and Monfernos.

Ba gave her a bow of the head. It was his normal welcome, but she caught a glint in his eye. He knew as well.

"Welcome, clans. This Council has been called to confer on the increasing food shortage. Vali, would you care to explain?"

A Bellosom, the youngest of the clan leaders, stood from her seat. "For the past moon, our berry groves have been producing much less fruit than usual. We know that the Great Cold will be coming some time next moon, but even the trees that bear fruit for the entire Passing are not giving as they should. We have noticed an imbalance in the earth that we are unable to explain. It has happened before and lasted only through the Great Cold. But we will be hard-pressed for food until then." She nodded and retook her seat.

"Thank you, Vali. I open it for any to give suggestions as what we should do."

"Our trees have also been short on berries," an Infernape from behind Ella called. "Just how big is the problem."

"It seems it is the entire forest." No one responded.

"Perhaps we can get berries from another forest."

"No. Any travel is threatened by the humans."

Ba turned to Ella, who stood. When it came to watching the humans, the Infernape were always the closest. "Since the strange occurrence north of here several moons ago, the humans have not come any closer. It seems they have a fear of these woods. I doubt they'll be a problem."

"You would be wise not to listen to her!" The voice came from the side, outside of the space. An Infernape jumped over the side and stepped forward. A mass of shaiyas joined him, coming from all sides of the tree.

Ella did not have to turn to see him. The voice alone was enough to tell her. "Tor. You were banished from these woods. Leave before we force you to."

He looked at Ba, completely ignoring her. "Please, I have an argument for this council that must be heard."

The old bird did not answer him at first. Then, "Ella is right. You have no business here, especially after you put the village in such danger."

"But I only mean to save the village. It is my hope that I can expose a great threat among us."

She wanted to tear his throat out. But she forced herself to remain seated. Let him have his time.

"Very well then," Ba said with a swing of his wing. "Make your argument."

"Thank you." He stepped forward to the middle of the space, where everyone could see him. "My friends…"

Ella laughed to herself. Some way to start, considering he had nearly destroyed the village several moons ago.

"…I am sure that many of you remember several moons ago. A young Chimchar suddenly changed into the forms of other shaiyas." There was a subtle round of murmurs. "I am here to tell you that he was merely a warning. Long ago, the Mäyto, a race of fierce humans with these same powers, nearly took over the worlds. I am sure that most of the elders can attest to this."

He gave a pause to let that sink in. "But the Mäyto are back. And they have already begun to undermine our ways."

"_Here it comes,"_ she thought to herself. For the second time in her life, she wondered if just being open about her identity would have prevented so much trouble. As of now, only the elders and what Infernapes were present during the near-disaster knew about her. That would change.

"One of your own clan leaders is one of these abominations intent on only ruling every last inch of this forest." With this argument, he shoved his finger in Ella's direction.

For a moment, there was stillness. And then slow realization began to spread through those gathered. Of course it made sense. Feuer was her son. If he had it, why not her?

But someone stood up on the other side. "You have no proof."

He lowered his finger. "Do you deny it, Ella?"

She looked into his eyes before answering, "No."

Another round of gasps and murmurs. Tor grinned. "You see? Her only hope is to rule over every one of you!"

"I did not say that."

He spun back towards her.

"I only said that I do have that gift. But I'm not power-hungry."

"And yet here you are, ruling over the very clan you were a part of. It is also true," he continued, turning back and looking over the others, "that every elder here was aware of it and knew. And I have no doubt that Ba was intending to give leadership of the village to her."

This time Ba glared. "Are you finished?"

"Not yet." He raised his hands, gesturing to the other shaiyas that had appeared with him. "We will not allow it. We know the truth and we have brought it to you. The only acceptable action now, and I encourage you all to see the same, is that Ella is put to death."

The space exploded into an uproar. But this time it was much more vigorous with argument than the last. The group seemed split. Many saw Tor's reasoning and screamed in his support. Some only shouted about how stupid he was.

"I have a thought," Vali said, still seated. "You are forgetting that a number of the Mäyto rejected their people and protected the shaiyas. I propose that Ella is not a Mäyto, but a Shalin."

More talking, a bit more hushed this time. Most had heard some stories of the fabled Shalin at one point in their life.

But now Ella's mind was gone, consumed by her own thoughts. That was the accusation she had been waiting for.

And now it was time for her to choose. She could become a protector of the shaiyas or deny it in hopes to live out a normal life. Well, as normal as a clan leader's life can get.

"She can't be a Shalin! Shalin never rose to any positions of power! She must be a Mäyto!"

Or perhaps they wouldn't allow her to decide for herself.

It had been Tor that screamed the accusation. More and more were starting to side with him. And all the while, he held a snarling grin on his face.

She hated that grin. It was the same grin that he had when he cheated. It was the same grin he had when he tried to banish Feuer from the forest. It was the same grin he had when Feuer left on his own. Just seeing it made her want to tear his spine from his back. And she could do it, too. One step, claws in, a sharp pull, and he would crumple like a leaf. For a moment, logical thought left her as she focused on that image.

Someone from the back shouted that they shouldn't take the risk and simple kill her to be sure.

Her eyes focused on Tor. _"Well, if they're going to kill me for being a monster, perhaps I should give them a good reason."_

Before her heart gave another beat, everything went blue. All the other shaiyas froze in place. _"You know you really shouldn't." _A form materialized before her.

Its shape completely escaped her for a second. It was humanoid, but had distinct features of a shaiya. When it completely appeared, she recognized her instantly. "Aura!"

The Lucario-morph jumped forward and wrapped Ella in a hug. While she did, Ella stopped to look at her old friend. She had grown taller, much more developed, and seemed to carry herself much higher than she had. Gone was the timid girl ashamed by her appearance.

Ella broke the hug. "What are you doing here?"

"After you left, I became a messenger for the Spirits, like Mew."

"Really? But…wait. That means you're here for me."

She nodded. "The Spirits have been watching you and they are pleased. You are free to choose whichever path you choose."

"Well, that's nice to know." She turned her head over towards Tor. "But that doesn't help me with him."

"What you do is up to you. If I were you, I'd put him in his place."

Ella could feel her teeth start to lengthen at the thought. "I'd love to."

"…Without actually killing him," she added quickly.

She gave her friend a saddened look. "You always were the harmless one. But then what should I do?"

"I don't know." Aura stepped back. "But you're smart. Much smarter than him or I. I'm sure you'll think of something."

An idea suddenly struck her. "You're right. I am smarter. Thanks."

Aura bowed slightly. "Come visit some time."

And then the blue vanished and everyone was moving again.

"Do you now have an argument, Ella?" Tor hissed fiercely.

Ella looked up at him, realizing that all eyes were on her. _"I'm smarter than you, you fool."_ She put on a smug grin. "Tell me, Tor. What do you gain by exposing me?"

The question threw him off for a second. "I only mean to protect the village and the shaiyas."

"Oh really? Is that before or after you become clan leader again?" More mumbling. "Because is it not true that if a leader is removed, the previous takes his place?"

Eyes turned to Tor for his response. His grin was gone, replaced by a snarl. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Please. You've hated me ever since I arrived because I was the only one that you knew could surpass you."

She faintly heard several whisper, "That's true" to each other.

Ba joined in her assault. "And it was your thirst for power that sent you against the council and threatened the village. If anyone here is power hungry, it is you."

Within seconds, the tide had turned. Tor's head searched around, but realized that his power was rapidly dwindling. "No! Don't listen to the beast!"

"You're the beast here."

Tor jumped without warning, claws bared, towards Ella. He gave a furious swing at her neck.

But she was faster. Her body melted into ghost skin. She passed through behind him and reappeared with a hand against his back. "Get out of my forest." She focused and Tor vanished.

The space became silent. It was the first time she had openly displayed her powers. It had a bigger impact than she would have guessed. The silence was so thick that she decided to break it. "Fellow shaiyas, I mean no one here any harm. My only wish is to live out my life as a normal member of this village. If the need arises again for me to take action, I shall. But until that day, I am not Shalin or Mäyto. If you followed Tor a great distance, see me after the Council, and I shall return you home."

She moved back to her seat. No doubt they would talk about this. Let them.

Ba caught her as she walked. "Good speech. For a moment, I thought you would tear his spine out."

She laughed gently. "For a moment, I was going to."

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**Not much, but I wanted to get a little more closure for Ella. Also, Debbie Aaron Primal wanted me to bring Aura back.** **I hope you enjoyed it for what it's worth.**


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